ARTICLES ABOUT DAN CARPENTER BY DATE - PAGE 4

The Miami Dolphins might want to think about resurrecting Gator Day. In the fifth round of the 2013 NFL draft the Dolphins added two University of Florida players, tailback Mike Gillislee and kicker Caleb Sturgis, bringing the draft's total of former Gators to three. The Dolphins selected UF linebacker Jelani Jenkins in the fourth round. Gillislee, who is 5-foot-11, 207 pounds, caught General Manager Jeff Ireland's eye by being the best tailback at the Senior Bowl. "I'm going to be closer to my family and I'm ready to play football," Gillislee said.

Dan Carpenter was a fresh-faced undrafted rookie out of the University of Montana looking to find work back in 2008. The Miami Dolphins invited the kicker to training camp and had him compete against Jay Feely, an established veteran who converted 21 of 23 field goals for Miami the previous season, setting a single-season record for field goal percentage. Feely and Carpenter had a training camp battle and because there was little noticeable difference in the two kickers - outside of their salaries - the cheaper rookie won out and Feely was released.

1. Here's some good news for the Dolphins: They have one elite unit in the league. The Dolphins ranked 27 th in offense and 12 th in defense this year, Darren Rizzi's special teams have ranked in the top five the past two seasons, including fourth this year, according to the annual rankings by Dallas Morning News writer Rick Gosselin. Last year, the Dolphins finished second. Here are the top five special teams this year, according to the calculations of Gosselin, who puts quantitative figures on each unit and computes the totals: Minnesota 253.5 points Cincinnati 276 Baltimore 277 Miami 296 Seattle 302 The Dolphins won three games essentially because of special teams.

Although Miami Dolphins legendary defender and ESPN NFL Analyst Jason Taylor is no longer chasing quarterbacks, he still strives to "smash" his opponents. Taylor recently hosted 3Cinteractive's "JT's Ping-Pong Smash 9 - Presented by Publix," the original, celebrity doubles table-tennis tournament at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, with all proceeds benefiting the Jason Taylor Foundation. This event pairs community members with some of Florida's most recognizable sports and entertainment personalities in a round-robin, ping-pong tournament.

While the nicked-up Dolphins were playing for pride, jobs and a .500 record, the New England Patriots' desire to secure a first-round bye clearly trumped those motives as they completely outclassed Miami in a 28-0 victory Sunday afternoon at a blustery, freezing Gillette Stadium. So under the leadership of rookie head coach Joe Philbin and rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill the Dolphins finished 7-9, one game better than last year, and in second place behind the 12-4 AFC East champion Patriots.

MIAMI GARDENS - An emotional Zach Thomas implored his old team to “win the second half” after being inducted into the team's Honor Roll. The Miami Dolphins obeyed his command, holding on for a 17-14 win over the St. Louis Rams before a crowd of 52,983 at Sun Life Stadium. The outcome wasn't secured until Rams rookie Greg Zuerlein missed a potential game-tying field goal from 66 yards. The rookie sixth-rounder from Missouri Western had the distance but missed wide left, his third miss of the day after starting his career with 15 straight makes.

This was supposed to serve as the best gauge for the Miami Dolphins. The opponent wasn't too good (Houston). The opponent wasn't too bad (Oakland). The New York Jets were nearly their equal, and the Dolphins had every opportunity to prove they were the better team. Instead, they blew their chance, falling to the Jets 23-20 in overtime Sunday at Sun Life Stadium. Jets kicker Nick Folk scored the winning points on a 33-yard field goal, quieting the 60,102 in attendance. It came just moments after the Dolphins (1-2)

MIAMI GARDENS — Just when the Dolphins were at their talent-thin worst, running back Reggie Bush and safety Reshad Jones, two of the team's best playmakers, came up with two of the team's best performances of the season. Bush scored three touchdowns, the first three-touchdown game by a Dolphins running back since 2009, and Jones recovered two fumbles and picked off a pass, a showing that might have secured his first Pro Bowl berth. With Bush and Jones leading the way, the Dolphins, missing four starters and six key contributors since losing at Buffalo five games ago, manhandled the Bills, 24-10, on Sunday at Sun Life Stadium in the home finale.

Just when the Dolphins were at their talent-thin worst, running back Reggie Bush and safety Reshad Jones, two of the team's best playmakers, gave two of the team's best performances of the season. Bush scored three touchdowns, the first three-touchdown game by a Dolphins running back since 2009, and Jones recovered two fumbles and came up an interception, a showing that might have secured his first-ever Pro Bowl berth. With Bush and Jones leading the way, the Dolphins, missing four starters and six key contributors since losing at Buffalo five games ago, manhandled the Bills, 24-10, on Sunday at Sun Life Stadium in the regular-season home finale.